A WOMAN'S POINT OF VIEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 113, 14 May 1937, Page 6

A WOMAN'S POINT OF VIEW.

In this controversy there has been what seems a deliberate avoidance of certain fundamental facts on the part of those whose utterances are published: it is time a woman's point of view is made known, and the community allowed a full discussion on this eerious matter, before any "scare" legislation is rushed through over our heade and without our consent. The points to be epecially -noted are: (1) The provision of monetary and domestic help for mothers will be of little avail; the real root of the decline of the birth rate is the strong senee of social instability and insecurity; the more thoughtful and responsible the mother, the more does she feel that the community has no real place for her children except a<s. so many bodies for a living wall against the possible bombs and poison gas of the future. This attitude to chTldren is unexpressed but implicit in all political utterances. The idea of a large population being a panacea for unemployment is .-ontradicted by the condition of every highlypopulated country in the world. Henco it is completely useless to try to alter women's attitude without altering the social conditions in which they live, and giving them a community which they will be proud to serve. (2) The charge of selfishness against women is almo s t entirely unfounded; most normal women would like to have four or five children if they could bring them into a secun , and happy world: but now that motherhood is a largely voluntary affair, the responsibility for giving new life is very great: and a- a rule it is the thought of the child'-; future and not her own convenience that U uppermost in a woman's mind. That future ln-<lay is dark. (3) The voice of the Churches should not be allowed to dominate this discussion. The impassable gulf that exists between their attitude and teaching and that of their Founder is obvious to modern youth, and renders the latter not only indifferent but antagonistic to dogmatic Church utterances. (4) This point, dealing with the deliberate confusion of the totally different subjects of contraception and abortion is of the mo«t fundamental import to all parent-, for our children's sake. F<>r them we must fight in every way again*t the banning of contraceptives and avoid the widespread eviUs that would inevitably follow. ! America has demonstrated the utter futility of prohibition* which are against the spirit of the people, and the evils which accompany them. Let u« try by all means in our power to end abortion, but a ban on contraceptives is of no help in this matter, and should not be mixed up with it. I earnestly hop , that all parents will think seriously over thi< la-t point, and prevent legislation which can only cause misery and suffering for our children, whose difficulties we cannot foresee. A.P.